CAE is developing a high-fidelity mixed-reality flight trainer designed to address the emerging needs of the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, the company said on Tuesday. The 700MXR trainers, which CAE Civil Aviation group president Nick Leontidis likened to advanced flight training devices, represent a new approach to training that will reflect low-altitude, single-pilot operations in complex airspaces and urban environments.
“We have a training device that we think is going to be better suited to train pilots for this type of air vehicle,” Leontidis said, adding that the idea is to make the devices cost-effective for a market with lower-priced aircraft. He noted the operational environment will drive “a whole bunch of training requirements that we think will drive a need for a new training device.”
CAE expects because of several parameters, such aircraft might involve a type rating but the company has been working with regulators on the nature of the new requirements. Leontidis added that regulations already are well established for single-pilot and vertical flight, but not for the AAM sector. “We’re going to try to stay as close to existing regulations as we can and then over time make changes,” he said.
The new line will use a wearable headset display combined with a compact mini-motion platform and 360-degree field of view to provide high-fidelity, physics-based simulation with an immersive “out-the-window” 3D environment. The wearable mixed reality headset works with real cockpit controls and instrumentation to deliver realistic, low-flying scenarios, CAE said.
While each vehicle has its own specifics in how they operate, Simon Azar, CAE v-p of strategy, marketing, and adjacencies for civil aviation, said that many are using similar avionics and cockpit environments, establishing a baseline for the training device series. “In the end, the basic requirements are the same,” he said.
The CAE 700MXR is already in development, CAE executives said, and will be ready in time for when AAMs enter service. While an independent CAE initiative, the development of the trainers come as CAE has been building partnerships in the AAM sector. On Tuesday, CAE revealed its fifth such agreement—with Vertical Aerospace, joining Jaunt, Volocopter, Beta Technologies, and Joby. Under the agreement with Vertical, CAE will design and launch a training program for Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 aircraft, targeted for service entry in 2025.
CAE sees a large emerging demand for AAM training, with Chris Courtney, director of advanced air mobility for the company, estimating a need for 60,000 to 70,000 pilots over 10-plus years to operate those vehicles. At the same time, CAE’s traditional airline and corporate customer base already account for nearly 75 percent of the orders placed for AAM.
“What this industry is looking for is scale," Courtney said. "There will also be a large demand for pilots to get initial training and current training. We believe that this new type of simulation device is a cost-effective solution for this new emerging market and the training requirements that are needed to operationalize advanced mobility.”
As far as exactly when and where the training will occur, Leontidis said it will depend on the needs of the market. He noted CAE and Volocopter are working to certify and deploy a pilot training program with the goal of launching operations around the summer 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. “This is the type of technology we are developing in support of those operations,” he concluded.